Castrol is being paved, and we have every expectation we will race on it in the coming year. When it will open in 2013, and how much of the two part circuit will be ready we don't yet. But let's not distract this conversation with worries about Castrol or a track, because there will be some kind of opportunities. And remember, if you have a Spec Miata you can take it to any race track in the US as well as racing it with the WCMA.Jed

Yes, Count me in! I picked up my Spec Miata (92 1.6) last month in Colorado. There are lots of choices on the web sites such as "Mazda Racers" right now. A decent car can be obtained for as little as $7500 ready to race, if you want a car with national championship success then expect to pay a lot more. If you have any questions on bringing a car back to Canada, ask away, bottom line is, do your homework first!

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October 26, 2012, 01:45:43 PM

Reply #4

GTcalgary

Count me in also. 1999 Black Spec Miata #98. I ran it in WCMA races during the 2012 season. I'm happy to help answer questions or help out anyone looking to participate. The website I built has a lot of helpful links and information. www.miatavsmiata.ca or feel free to email me at miatavsmiata@gmail.com.

Note to people who have just registered for this WCMA forum. After filling out the registration info I received an email saying that my registration was accepted and that I would receive a second email with an approval. I never did receive a second email but after 24 hours I tried logging in and my login and password worked. Hope this helps.

Lots of good interest here already. Read some other positive things on straightpipe.ca.I have read several versions of the spec miata rules.I have a question for miata guys from a tech point of view.Under our current rules the 1.6 version fits nicely in IT3 however the 1.8l version is a nice IT2 car.If spec miata is started as it's own class how are restrictor for the 1.8l policed???

Dave GardinerWCMA tech comittee.

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October 28, 2012, 02:11:08 PM

Reply #6

GTcalgary

I suppose on an overall basis, it would be no different to how you normally police the various existing race classes. By the way, for 2012, NASA and SCCA harmonized their rules as far as restrictor plates and minimum weights go. There is some anticipation that the two groups will leave their rules as is for three years at least according to the mazdaracers.com forum.

As for the restrictor plates, put simply, NB's have a small restrictor plate opening, 1.8 NA's have a larger opening than the NB's and the NA's aren't required to run a restrictor plate. The restrictor plate for my 1999 supplied for $30 from SCCA Enterprises, came in the mail colored bright purple and protrudes higher than the top of the throttle body so its easy to spot. If a fellow competitor has a beef, its easy enough to pop the hood to take a look that its there. If someone wants to get really sticky or do a spot check, it takes less than 5 mintues with a single size socket to pull 4 bolts, pull out the restrictor and use a Mastercraft micrometer to check that the opening size matches the stamp on the plate/class rules. Minimum weights are then used to further equalize the various peformance characteristics of the three model types.

After many years in RX-7 Challenge Cars, a true "Spec" series, I have found that maintaining the "specs" isn't all that hard. The most obvious tell-tale of a non-spec car is the performance. Once a car gets too fast, beyond just driver ability, it is clear something else is going on. We have found with the RX-7's that things like straightaway speed, and cornering attributes are true indicators of a cars compliance. We have not torn down a car in the last 12 years.

As the CC cars are getting a little long in the tooth, and spare parts are becoming harder to find, I think a Spec Miata class is a good idea for new racers particularly. A "Spec" series tends to generate a sense of co-operation within the class, as everyone is running the same cars, parts etc. I know that in the CC class, when someone breaks down, everyone else in the class is there to offer help and parts to get the car back on the track.

All that said, the CC class is still a great place to run; the cars are still relatively fast, extremely easy and cheap to maintain, and a challenge to drive. The history of Regional and Provincial Overall Championships won by cars in this class attests to their reliability over a season.

I have monitored Spec Miata for a few years when racing in the US, it seems to be one of the most prolific classes at virtually every track we visited. This makes it attractive to me, it would be nice to race local and also be able to travel without "Adjusting" the car to optimize/legalize for local specs.

Looks like Mazda Canada supports the Eastern series as well as Toyo, looks like they have a successful championship running, 12 cars listed in the 2012 results. Lots of good information on that web site and a forum too (Atlantic Region Motor Sports).